


Seven Tears

by GoldenSelkie



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Boys Kissing, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Selkies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-27
Updated: 2016-03-27
Packaged: 2018-05-29 10:16:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6370945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenSelkie/pseuds/GoldenSelkie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Steve Rogers unwittingly sheds seven tears into the East River, he isn't at all prepared for anything that follows. Mythical selkies, Atlanteans, marriage contracts and ancient promises are the last things he thought he'd have to deal with in the modern age. Steve finds himself struggling to manage undersea politics, strange connections to his past and feelings he thought he'd never have again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seven Tears

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Love among the Hydrothermal Vents](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1045195) by [DevilDoll](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DevilDoll/pseuds/DevilDoll). 



The wind rushed down the river and out towards the sea, drawing his clothing sharply against his body. He felt his body rock into the fence and braced himself against the strong gusts buffeting the bridge.

Somewhere below him, a car horn blared and was answered by a chorus of loud replies. Steve’s hand tightened on the rail and forced his jaw to unclench, his shoulders to drop and his legs to relax. Told himself that the suddenness of the noise and the staccato nature was nothing threatening. There was no need to duck for cover. He was safe. His hands were clutching the rail of the Brooklyn Bridge walkway and not his shield. He was easily and steadily breathing the chill, sharp air into clear lungs. There wouldn’t be any explosions, or smoke, or gunfire.

Told himself that the war was more than half a century behind him, even if it felt like it was only a year ago.

He brought himself back to the present bit by bit. Reminded himself of the year, who he worked with, the people he knew now. It was a grounding technique that sometimes worked wonders for managing his PTSD, other times it drew him into a whole other world of pain. Like tonight.

Tonight, two tears burned down his cheeks and were swept into the wind, over the traffic and down to the East River 

Steve Rogers, the soldier frozen in time, missed his friends. The horror of the war was something that would never truly leave him. But it was completely different to the nightmare of waking up to having only a single person in the whole world who knew him. Someone who couldn’t hold on to the present for more than an hour or so. Watching Peggy Carter fight to stay connected to the moment, only to lose and weep again at Steve’s return was agony. But for 10 minutes, 20 minutes, an hour, someone knew him and shared history with him.

So Steve held on to those moments. On nights when those moments weren’t enough, he ran. Tonight though, the running hadn’t been enough and he’d frozen on the bridge, unable or unwilling to go a step further.

The wind drove two more tears down to the water.

Today, he’d received news that Peggy was deteriorating and there wasn’t much time left. Visits were going to be limited to family until the time came.

A fifth tear followed.

_Until the time came._

Steve swiped a cold hand across his eyes and flicked the last two tears into the strong wind. He let his body take over, feeling his muscles bunch and release as he sprang into action. Running hard, he cleared the bridge in minutes and pelted back into the city streets. Trying to outrun reality, a world that didn’t know him, the pain of being left behind. The feeling of being utterly alone.

Even with the super serum, he wasn't quite fast enough. 

\------

The last two tears hit the water and mingled with the East River as all seven tears were carried out toward the open sea.

As the current brought them the Lower Bay, the bright, full moon lit the shiny head that quickly broke the surface of the water. Gazing in the direction the tears had come from, the seal thought for only a moment before deciding to answer the call. It was an old tradition and rarely honored these days, but it suited him to respond. With a sharp bark the seal made his promise and slid back under the surface of the water. There was no time to lose.

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! This fic was heavily influenced and inspired by DeviDoll's 'Love among the Hydrothermal Vents'. If you haven't read it and you like Steve/Tony pairings, then it's oodles of fun and a must read.
> 
> Though this intro is a little dark (it kind of developed a narrative of its own and was never supposed to be this dark D:), everything will lighten up soon. Steve has some things to work out and PTSD to work with but I believe that he'll get through to some happiness! That's the plan anyway. Also, I'm not local to NY or the surrounding suburbs so if I've missed any details in my research then please let me know. I really had to Google the Brooklyn Bridge to find out how the walkway worked, which river is below it, how the East River meets the sea, which side is the Manhattan side, what kinds of animals you can see in the river etc.
> 
> I'm not really a writer-y person and I'l probably continue to tweak this fic as I go, but I want to try and make it about 10 chapters long. It might just take me a while, but I'll update when I can.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading. :)


End file.
